


Stark Contrast

by babyredpanda



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Worldbuilding, but not the way you think, ehe, maybe another time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 17:05:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8721763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyredpanda/pseuds/babyredpanda
Summary: Spoilers : at the end, the Wolf is actually quite happy he listened to the Lion.





	

Loki had never perceived himself as a rule-breaker. As far as he was concerned, he stood somewhere near the opposite end of the spectrum, actually. _Young but wise_ , his teachers all said, to his proud mother and busy father. Yes. He could live with that. Young but wise. He didn’t really know what it was supposed to mean – in their mouths, “young” sounded more like a qualitative adjective than a neutral statement of his progression in time – but still, it felt like a compliment. A second prince wasn’t allowed much space to be disruptive, either way. As a future political asset and promising plenipotentiary, he was restricted to rigorous schedules and equally demanding intellectual tasks. Thor, despite the impressive magnitude of his upcoming responsibilities, was given a lot more latitude. Maybe it was precisely because they knew his life as a king would be an everlasting burden that they granted him so much time to spare, so much silly activities to indulge in. This gap between he and his brother, Loki used to contemplate with incomprehension – and maybe a bit of jealousy, though he could only adore every single moment they shared in the playroom, during their common free time, as young boys pretending to fight off monsters and save burning villages. Now, as he reached physical and moral maturity, he looked at it with tender amusement, even a glimpse of compassion, as he seemed to know far better than Thor what was awaiting him, the day he would lay his colossal and careless body on Hlidskjalf.

All in all, he was the reasonable one. That, the whole court knew. He was the one who never missed the prayer hours – and the so very religious ancients respected him for that. He was the one who drank little and spoke with wit – and the very scholar magistrates loved him for it. He was the one who kept the secrets of all and told none about him – and he was much talked about, for that matter.

At the dawn of his adult life, he was just as old and mythical as a dusty artifact.

A dusty artifact had no rules to break.

An impetuous, blond hurricane, on the other side, had all the laws to shatter, and all the energy to do so.

 

On this day, as the sun barely emerged from the faraway mountains, Thor, as he would, asked him to violate two of Asgard’s most fundamental, hence respected, principles.

One, he wanted them to visit a brothel, together – roughly speaking, there was nothing less legal and more taboo than a pleasure house, and if anything were to reach this status, it would be way too obscene for any well-meaning legislation to even describe. Two, he insisted upon the use of magic – so they wouldn’t get caught, he said.

“Norns, I’ll never let you try Volstagg’s special herbs again”, the younger prince sighed, as he rolled his tired eyes and buried his head back under the pillow. “You know far too well that I’m the last person in Asgard that would step into something as ridiculously dangerous as sorcery- And where would you find a brothel, anyway? I’m not even sure there still exists one in the whole, wide realm.”

“Tyr knows of a place”, the elder one insisted with a sulky pout. “We were drinking, and he told me of a House, a secret one. It’s in the mountains, near the Sea of Marmora, where the waters meet with the frontiers of Alfheim.”

“Not very secret, then, is it?” the dark-haired prince muttered with a sigh.

“It’s hidden. Magically”, Thor specified, smiling excitedly. “But there’s a password and-”

“Let me guess: Tyr gave it to you.”

“Yes!”

“Well you’re both reckless idiots. Why don’t you go with him?”

“I don’t want to. Besides, I can’t. I made him drink even more, so he wouldn’t remember our conversation. This way, no one except you and I will ever know where we went.”

“…That’s both immensely stupid and oddly clever. I never thought you’d be capable of such intricate brain-work. Are you sure you’re not ill?”

“Loki...” his brother moaned, a hint of saddened impatience in the eye.

“Go on your own, I’m not interested”, Loki sniffed, curling up under his sheets. “And don’t even think about getting me drunk to make me forget.”

“I _want_ you to come with me”, the to-be king informed him, his voice deep and demanding, as his robust hands pulled the large cushion away, revealing his brother’s annoyed features.

“Thooor...”

“I’m doing it for you, Loki”, the warrior prince insisted, rounding the bed to meet his sibling’s gaze. “I haven’t seen you have fun since our last day in the nursery. That’s no proper life. Aren’t your beloved philosophers the first to say a fulfilled existence needs equilibrium?”

Loki blinked in surprise. Well, that was new. Thor really had to be under the influence of severe mind-altering drugs, for his impatient spirit to even consider entering a verbal argument with _him_.

“I live a very well-balanced life, thank you for your concern, brother. Also, our perceptions of fun are two radically different things, just in case you hadn’t gotten that by now.”

“Are they? You’re curious, I’m curious. The only difference I see is that you confine yourself in theoretical answers, when I choose to physically tackle them.”

“Isn’t it enough? Besides, the only things I’ve ever read about magic or prostitution are the laws that specify why we should _stay away_ from both of them.”

“Oh, have you?” the older one smirked, lightly, tilting his head sidewards.

For a split instant, the younger prince froze, before he hastily peeled his body off the mattress.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he murmured, cautiously.

“You’ve no need to pretend in front of me, brother”, Thor taunted with a soft tap on the shoulder. “I saw you, in the library, the other day. You took three forbidden books and you replaced them with empty dummies. Two of them concerned sorcery, and the other-”

“Shut up.”

“I read that one, what do you think? Decades ago.”

“I didn’t even know you could read”, the blushing prince mumbled, arms wrapped around his chest.

“That’s a lie, and a mean one.”

“I can get even meaner if it prevents you from lengthening this discussion.”

“Have you ever tried any of those things with your lovers? I did. It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. I’m sure it’d be better with true professionals.”

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

“You mean you haven’t tried them?”

“No! No, I haven’t!” Loki burst out in embarrassed exhaustion. “ _I_ am not a rutting animal!”

“Yet you read the book.”

“What I do in my private time really is none of your business, Thor.”

“You _never_ wished to try – is that what you’re saying? Truthfully, Loki. Look at me and tell me you never wanted to try.”

“… I hate you.”

“Fine”, Thor huffed, raising both hands in sign of partial surrender, as he quietly sat on the edge of the bed. “Let’s look at it another way.”

“Thor...”

“No, I’m serious. You’re a wise magistrate, and I will be king, one day. We need to think about things like this. Bear with me for a moment. Those rules are thousands of years old. Maybe they’re not all that good, anymore. Maybe, if honorable and hard-working men like Tyr keep going to such places, at their own perils, maybe there is something there that keeps them together. Maybe their physical satisfaction is a fundamental condition to their mental stability. Maybe the prudish repression our forefathers implemented could become a danger, if it were to be perpetuated any longer. Imagine all the important men we know visited a brothel, at least once. What would it mean? Should they all face charges, or should the king, father or I or my son after me, revise his judgment on the moral wrongness of pleasure houses? Who knows? I believe an inquiry could prove necessary.”

As silence left its sardonic mark in the room, the older prince looked at his brother with the widest and proudest of smiles, as the younger one stared at him with utter astonishment.

“You can’t possibly have come up with that on your own”, Loki ultimately whispered. “Tell me you heard it somewhere.”

“I _can_ read, you know. I can think, too”, the eldest brother mouthed, rolling his eyes. “Look, Loki”, he pursued, after a few seconds of awkward silence, “I don’t really care about how you have fun, and you’re right, I nourish no feverish passion for the repercussions of the old laws on our people’s mental health – though it still is a valid argument in favor of a quick visit, I think”, he commented with a slightly embarrassed grin, which led the second prince to raise an inquisitive eyebrow. “If I came to you today, and not Fandral, or Volstagg, or Tyr, it’s just because – I want us to do something together”, he speedily confessed. “We’ve been kept apart for such a long while… We used to have our games in common, but ever since the playroom exited our daily life, we just drifted away from one another, further and further. Lately, it’s kept me awake at night – the fear that one day, we’d become strangers. I don’t want to live to see that day arrive. It would hurt too much, you understand? All the good memories would grow sadder and sadder, and we could only contemplate them as a painful proof of what we’d have lost. When I saw you taking _those_ books, and when Tyr told me about that place – I thought, I just thought – we could do something together. Go on a real journey, live a true adventure, you see? I was so glad to find out we still had at least one thing in common, I didn’t care how intimate it was, or how ridiculous and dangerous it could be. Frankly, I still don’t. Because of all that, and also because I really am curious about that place”, he concluded in a light smile.

And Loki could only contemplate, with pure stupefaction and growing emotion, the extents to which his brother had gone, not only to bring them together, but also to avoid having to explain the far too deep reason why he wanted it so bad.

That, he could understand. They had never talked about such things – not ever. No wonder why telling the truth was his very last option. What truly left him speechless, though, was the fact that _it actually was an option_. He knew Thor was brave – but not _this_ brave.

“You got your best general drunk, read psychology books, considered bypassing our two major laws and cautiously prepared two sets of verbal arguments... Just so we could rekindle our fraternal bond?” he eventually managed to synthesize.

Thor pursed his lips, cheeks blushing anew. Hastily, he nodded.

“You do know that there are far less extreme activities for two brothers to weigh into in order to strengthen their links, right?” Loki wondered, tentatively.

“Yeah, but, Loki, I _really_ am curious about that place”, the older one chuckled, running a shy hand in his golden locks. “And because I believe you’re curious about it too, I resent the idea of going without you. Do you remember, when we were just toddlers, the time I refused to go and visit the Glowing Desert with father, because you were ill and couldn’t come along? I don’t want our connection to be any different than then. Only the interests change. _We_ mustn’t. At least that’s how I see it. But shall you tell me that I’m really, _really_ wrong, and that you couldn’t care less about that House and what we could find in it… Well, you’d have to be very convincing, but in the end, I’d leave you alone. I promise.”

“… I don’t know what to say, Thor. Truly, you got me speechless, you did it. Congratulations, I suppose.”

“Are you mocking me?” the future king frowned, a hint of hurt in the eye.

“I don’t even think I could manage that, for the time being”, Loki smiled, lightly. “Truthfully, Thor, I’m – both moved and unsettled, I guess. See, normally, I wouldn’t even be telling you that. I think you just broke my inhibitors. I should be very cross with you for that… But I’m not”, he sighed.

“Does that mean you’re coming?” the good-hearted colossus inquired, excitedly.

“It’s still the stupidest idea you’ve ever had.”

“But you’re coming.”

“Because you missed the Glowing Desert for me, centuries ago, yes, I will go with you. But we’ll do as I say. Clear?”

“Yes, sir!” Thor immediately accepted, his gaze illuminated with a joy so pure, Loki briefly doubted he was actually capable of violating their laws the way they were about to.

“Good”, the younger prince stated, as he quickly hopped into his clothes. “So, no magic.”

“But-”

“I don’t know how to manipulate it, Thor, I really don’t. Isn’t it enough that the House is supposedly hidden by some sort of spell? That’s the only magic we’ll get close to. Now, go to father, and tell him you convinced me to go on a hunting trip, in the mountains. He knows I missed several holidays to fulfill my duties; I believe he’ll be quite happy to get rid of my eternal presence for a few days”, he smirked. “Shoo, go and ask, before he starts his grievances session.”

 

And so did the sons of Asgard meticulously plan their outrageous escapade.

By the end of the day, they were gone, with the trustful blessing of their unknowing parents.

 

***

 

“It’s here”, Thor whispered with vibrant excitement, as he looked down to the clumsy map Tyr had traced for him, during their infamous drunken night.

“Are you sure?” a tired Loki mouthed.

Their three days of nearly uninterrupted riding clearly showed on his drawn out features, as he almost hoped for their indecent destination to finally appear before their eyes, just so he could get some well-deserved rest, in some unoccupied room.

“Quite”, his brother smiled, widely, as he jumped to the muddy ground, body and mood still as fresh as the day they left.

Loki had forgotten about their offensively different levels of physical endurance. He sighed, deeply, and winced in pain as he slowly dismounted.

“What do we do now?” he asked, voice hoarse with exhaustion.

“We rejoice, for we have found the object of our quest!” Thor replied with true jubilation, his strong hand landing a brotherly tap on Loki’s back.

“Ouch! Careful!” the dark-haired prince protested, the blow he returned to him too weak for Thor to even notice.

“Shh. I need to formulate the password, now, clearly and loudly.”

“Not too loudly, will you? We never know”, Loki commented, his weariness leaving some room for a renewed nervousness. “How drunk was Tyr, again?”

“Silence, now”, Thor hushed, before taking a few steps forward and clearing his throat, thoroughly. “I came to see the Captain.”

“… What?”

“Keep quiet, Loki!” the older one commanded with a groan. “It’s the password. I have to say it again now.”

“What sort of stupid password is tha-aaaaah!” he shouted in shock, leaping three steps back in one, sole spring.

At his right, where only rocks and dry trees stood, a second before, a gigantic mansion soared from the ground, almost as high and wide as two wings of their own palace.

“It worked!” Thor cheered, smiling from ear to ear. “It worked, Loki, it worked! Come- What are you doing? Come now!”

“This is wrong”, the younger one murmured to himself, though a certain spark of fascination slowly found its way into his eyes, as he prudently followed his brother into this unknown, but not unwelcoming, territory.

The house was elegant in style and subtle in color. The stones that shaped the walls were regular and smooth, as if they had been washed, over and over, by the waves of the Marmora Sea, that gently flowed, a few yards away. The windows were round and broad, each and every one of them supporting a small balcony of vivid flowers.

“The Captain will see you now”, a voice announced, bringing Loki to interrupt abruptly his attentive contemplation.

On the threshold of what they guessed was the principal entrance, a young man stood still, hands politely crossed before his stomach. An inviting smile bent his lips upwards, as he stepped aside and extended one arm to display the warmly illuminated lobby.

“Isn’t it exciting?” Thor murmured, eyes sparkling with anticipation, as he gently pushed his brother forward. “Good evening, my good man”, he then proceeded to salute their host.

“Good evening, sir”, the latter softly answered, his smile never fading as he guided them into the antechamber, right to a beautifully ornamented counter, behind which a tall, blond, short-haired man awaited peacefully.

Loki took a nervous look behind, a shiver of fatality running down his spine as he noticed the door was being softly shut by another discreet silhouette – a feminine one, this time.

“My lords, I’m glad to welcome you tonight”, the blond man greeted them, graciously. “I’m the Captain. I will be introducing you to the rules and services of my House, for I believe you have never come here before, am I right?”

“Never, no”, Thor confirmed, enthusiastically.

“Never”, Loki repeated in a whisper, as the blond man’s gaze turned to him.

“Very well. May I ask: how and when did you first hear of our House?”

“Through a friend of mine”, Thor easily replied.

“Whose name won’t be revealed”, Loki specified, slowly, as he noticed the strangest of things – none of the two men seemed to even realize who their new clients were.

“I sense your worry”, the Captain smiled gently, while he cautiously wrote down Thor’s answer. “It is, however, unfounded. Our customers never reveal their true identities, here. We prescribe the use of code names. I’m the Captain, my companion is the Soldier, and you’ll be…?”

“Wait- You can’t possibly not know who we are”, Thor guffawed with both stupefaction and amusement.

“Why would that be?” the Soldier courteously wondered.

“But- Because I’m-”

“Please, don’t”, the Captain stopped him, raising both hands. “We really don’t wish to know.”

“But- But how-”

“The realm mostly ignores our existence, which keeps us safe”, the Soldier explained, calmly. “We, in return, acknowledge only the existence of the men and women who come to us, without any further indiscretions, so they’re as safe as we are.”

“As you can see, we have no interest in obtaining, let alone disclosing your true identities, my lords. I’m however quite happy that you live a life fulfilled enough for the world around you to recognize your names among millions of others”, the Captain concluded with a smile. “Nevertheless, these names ought to be forgotten, here. So, how do you wish to be called, during your stay in the House?” he asked, turning to Thor.

“Um- Well- I don’t know-”

“Take your time; there is no hurry.”

“The Lion. I’d like to be called the Lion”, Thor ultimately decided, his face moving from pensive confusion to a new form of eagerness.

“It suits you very well”, the Captain simply approved, as he took note of the prince’s answer.

“Please, don’t encourage him, or he’ll want us all to call him that way too”, Loki remarked with a shake of the head.

“Why don’t you focus on choosing your own name?” Thor mumbled with a vexed wince. “Unless you want me to choose for you? Little Brother Big Bother would suit you quite well”, he teased.

“Oh- Are you brothers?” the Soldier highlighted, raising an eyebrow, as the younger prince landed a slap at the back of Thor’s head.

“What else would we be?” Loki frowned lightly.

“Well, we do get friends, or-”

“We get brothers too, sometimes”, the Captain resumed, with a furtive glance to his colleague. “Sir, how would you like to be called?” he patiently asked Loki.

“I don’t know”, he sighed – as if he’d come again, really –, “the Wolf. Call me the Wolf.”

“The Lion and the Wolf”, the Captain stated, apparently content. “Good. May I now ask which specific form of pleasure you sought by coming to us today?”

“… What do you mean?” Thor inquired, head tilting sidewards with perplex curiosity.

“Well, we offer all variations of pleasure. The entirety of your senses can be satisfied. Music, theater, dance, silence, verbal jousts, baths, massages, sexual partners of all genders, or simple romantic moments; we’re proud to provide our consumers with all they can desire.”

“Oh. Oh, I thought… Well, I was here to be with a woman- or two”, Thor admitted with surprised candor.

“We can understand why you would think of our House in such a way”, the Soldier smiled, without a hint of mockery – an exploit Loki greatly admired him for.

“So, feminine company for sir Lion”, the Captain resumed. “Intimate room, I gather?”

“Well, yes, please.”

“Very good. And for you, sir?”

“Did you say baths?” Loki wondered after a few seconds of weary silence.

“Indeed I did.”

“I’ll have that. Only that.”

“Perfect. Now, for the terms of payment… Oh, no, please, there’s no need”, he smiled as both princes reached for their purses. “We ask for no monetary payment. If you’re happy with our treatments, we’ll invite you to contribute to the good standards of our House, by offering a piece of your satisfaction to our magicians, as an enhancement of their powers. Said powers will give them the capacity to conjure all that will make us able to maintain our own quality of life, but also to keep on offering the best services we can.”

“For instance, our consumers will shortly have access to the possibility of entering a time pocket during their pleasure sessions”, the Soldier pursued with what seemed to be a cheerful expression. “This option will allow them to remain in the location of their choice, with the company of their choice, for one, two or three days, without said lapse of time running out in their- let’s say, everyday life.”

“It sounds amazing!” Thor enthusiastically approved.

“And a bit dangerous”, Loki tempered, though he couldn’t really pretend he wasn’t curious.

“Amazing and dangerous. We should make it our new catchphrase, shouldn’t we?” the Captain gently laughed, giving the Soldier a soft pinch on the cheek, leading the young man to return a loving slap on the thigh.

“Mind your manners, Captain.”

“I apologize”, the blond man smirked sweetly, before the baffled eyes of the two blushing princes. “Please, do feel at home, my lords. The Hulk and the Hawk will escort you to your pleasure rooms. Will you stay for the night?”

“At least, yes”, Thor confirmed, both confused and amazed by the impossible possibilities this mysterious place had to offer.

As his brother gladly let the man called the Hulk lead him to his chamber, Loki prudently followed the Hawk, while casting a last, subtle look to the Captain and the Soldier -a couple, then, he thought to himself, staring at their mingled hands and conniving gazes.

A couple.

 

***

 

The thermal baths represented an entire wing of the building, so it seemed. Separated from its twins by thick marble walls, each room was roughly as wide as Loki’s personal bathroom. A subtle floral aroma emanated from the warm vapors that swirled under the wooden door – and immediately wrapped themselves around the prince’s tired body, when the Hawk pulled the knob for him.

“Enjoy your stay, sir Wolf”, the Hawk gently whispered, as Loki felt inexorably attracted by the sweet, enveloping feeling.

Soon, the door was silently shut, and he found himself alone – in the regal-like bathroom of a sophisticated, magical brothel.

He really shouldn’t have enjoyed it that much.

But, really, after three days of continuous gallop, a hot bath would’ve vanquished anyone’s will to be a good, lawful citizen.

With this reassuring thought in mind, Loki took a deep breath, and even allowed himself a light smile, as he meticulously disentangled the golden fasteners that closed his green jerkin. Soon, his tunic and trousers found their way to the floor, then into the large bucket into which boiling, scented waters promised a thorough washing.

Freed from his clothing, he took five shameless seconds to contemplate his reflect in the broad, steamy mirror. He too could do with a serious cleansing, definitely, was his grimacing conclusion, as his long fingers gently massaged his sore hips.

He dusted off the dry dirt from his peach skin, then, finally, walked down the few steps that gradually plunged into the warm flow.

Each new caress of the water on his flesh made him shiver and sigh in delight. Despite his firm desire to take profit from every second of this rediscovered pleasure, he couldn’t help but dive, head first, after a few moments of reasonable delectation.

 

When his head emerged from the steam, there was a pair of naked legs on the polished ground, near the closed door.

“Hey!” he chirped and startled in utter shock, instinctively burying chin deep in the water, both hands covering his crotch.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to intrude. Please, keep going”, an amused yet gentle voice swiftly whispered, as the legs moved forward and bent to the ground, while their owner sat on the edge of the basin.

“What? No- Go away”, the prince protested, lifting an outraged gaze to the short, swarthy man that had dared to disturb his peace.

“I’ve never seen you before. Are you new?” the disruptive presence inquired, obviously not paying attention to the prince’s grumblings.

Loki gritted his teeth with both irritation and embarrassment, as he could only notice the man wore only a small, white towel. Looking up, he met two sparkling eyes. Their color was one he had never seen before – dark, yet warm and welcoming, in a way. There were no eyes like these ones in Asgard.

“Are you?” he asked back, still nervous, but indubitably curious. “You’ve got an accent”, he noticed, too, after a moment of silence.

Keeping his gaze on the stranger’s tanned face, he swam over to the other edge of the pool, prudently.

“No”, the man giggled lightly. “Well, yes, I’ve got an accent, but I’m not new. I work here. And you?”

“Do I look like I work here?” the prince retorted with an offended look, crossing his arms around his chest.

“You could, you’re very pretty”, the intruder smiled broadly. “A bit nervy, but pretty. You could be a verbal jouster, or one of the special players they demand sometimes.”

“Well I’m neither”, Loki snapped. “I’m a customer, and I asked for a peaceful bath. You wouldn’t want me to report your behavior to the Captain, would you?”

“Oh, please don’t”, the foreigner pouted. “I’m really not supposed to be here, I know, but I need a bath too.”

His feet wriggled gently in the water, as he leaned his head sideways in a pleading posture. He had the strangest of faces. Short and packed with expression, mature yet childish, marked by time yet brightened by a sentiment of youth Loki couldn’t find any precise cause to. He sported a neatly shaped beard, that still didn’t manage do make him look old. The eyes, Loki thought, the eyes did it all.

“Don’t you have access to a bathroom of your own?” he sighed, his defenses still up, though slowly melting down under the heat and the captivating action of the stranger’s puerile, yet assured conduct.

“Of course I do!” the shameless man objected, firmly. “It’s just not available right now; but I still want to be clean for my next clients, see?”

“I can do without the detail, really, I can”, Loki assured, raising a hand to prevent the explanations from going any further, cheeks already glowing red as he couldn’t stop his eyes to go down on the alien’s partly nude figure.

“I promise I won’t bother you”, the outsider smiled as he already detached his towel, with the obvious and outraging certitude that he had won the battle, even though Loki never gave any clear sign of his surrender.

And all the prince could express was utter bewilderment, in the end, as the cloth was tossed away and as a naked, utterly unknown, maybe illegally immigrated man dove into _his_ bath.

“Norns’ sake!” he shouted, because there really was nothing else to say.

“You seem very tense”, the cheeky stranger noticed with an oddly sincere hint of compassion.

“One would wonder why”, he muttered, shaking his head and looking away.

“Maybe I should’ve presented myself first. I’m Stark”, the intruder smiled in all good will, one hand reaching for Loki’s.

“You’re certainly stark in more than a way”, the prince murmured, as he oscillated between complete annoyance and forgiving amazement.

“Ha! You’re funny. Tense, but funny”, Stark chuckled, shaking Loki’s hand with care before grabbing a round piece of delicately perfumed soap. “What’s your name?”

“You can call me sir Wolf”, the prince grinned slightly. “At least that’s how your colleagues call me.”

“Wolf. Would Wolfie do?” Stark wondered, while cautiously scrubbing his arms and chest. “You could call me Starkie. It’s cuter, and we’re both cute, so...”

“Maybe later”, Loki managed to answer, after a few seconds of startled muteness. “We barely know each other, after all”, he smirked sarcastically.

“I know what could make you feel more comfortable.”

“Oh? Please do enlighten me.”

“A good massage. I’m really great at that. I could wash you, too. The back is always hard to get”, he insisted, shaking the soap as if it could convince him better.

“… That wouldn’t really fit your previous statement. Quote: ‘I promise I won’t bother you’. Unquote.”

“It’s not bothering if it’s fun. I promise it’d be fun!”

“I really didn’t come here to-”

“Why did you come here?” Stark interrupted, managing to look as genuine and innocent as one could be while suddenly feeling the urge to get such information from a perfect stranger.

However, for once, it wasn’t the man’s attitude that got Loki speechless -but the question itself.

Oh, he knew far too well why he had decided to come. He never would’ve indulged in Thor’s caprice, even for the sake of their brotherhood, if he hadn’t deeply, shamefully desired to see with his own eyes, and feel with his own flesh.

 

“Start with the shoulders”, was all he could whisper, as firmly as possible, while he slowly turned around and lifted his hair, unveiling the white complexion of his upper back.

“Aye aye, sir Wolf”, Stark immediately accepted, and Loki could distinctively hear a content smile in his voice, as two warm, soapy hands came wrapping his tense muscles, tightly, but gently. “Like that?”

“… Yes”, he determined, pensively. “Keep going”, he demanded, mindlessly playing with a curl of hair.

“You shouldn’t move”, the apparently professional massager noted, softly. “Just let the water carry you”, he keenly suggested.

And he did, after only a minor hesitation, his brawn already melting in the delicate attentions of those unknown, tender palms. He closed his eyes, and let go of most of his concentration, focusing only on his breath, keeping it deep and slow, as he unconsciously leaned back into Stark’s considerate embrace.

“Lower”, he heard himself ask before he could even think of it.

“Uhuh- Here?” Stark asked, with no questioning of his request whatsoever, his hands descending against his spine, molding themselves into its light curve.

“Mhm...”

“I told you it’d be fun”, he contently murmured.

“I’ll give you a medal. Lower.”

“Here?”

“Hmh”, he agreed, enjoying the caring treatment for only a short minute before asking again: “Lower.”

“You’re not giving me much time to relax you...”

“I feel perfectly relaxed”, he replied, his voice too hoarse to corroborate his statement.

Stark giggled softly. The warmth of his breath against his neck brought a chill to his delicate skin.

“Are you cold?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Will you ever tell me what you really want, my sir Wolf?” Stark sweetly mouthed against his ear, the polite gentleness of his voice contrasting ever so deeply with the sudden seriousness of his question.

Loki’s eyes opened in shock, pupils widening at the unexpected inquiry.

And for all the indignation he wanted to feel for such an indiscreet ask, there was already nothing but desperate desire in his blood.

“Lower”, he murmured, vainly attempting to keep a hold of his own voice.

“ _Where_?” Stark softly insisted.

“Just lower”, he groaned, cheeks flushing with abashment.

“Here?” Stark smiled as he delicately seized the prince’s untouched bum, fingers sinking slowly, deeply, in his mellow flesh.

“Ha! … N-No- Yes…”

“Yes or no?” Stark patiently whispered, nibbling at his earlobe, thoroughly kneading his blushing bottom. “I don’t want to- bother you.”

“Y-Yesss...”

“Aw”, Stark giggled softly, “I hoped you’d say that”, he genuinely stated, as his index finger found its way between the prince’s cheeks and briefly titillated his tight, virgin hole. “You’re still so tense here…”

“How- ah!- did you think I’d be?” Loki groaned, cheekbones reddening and hands reaching for the edge of the pool, clasping on it desperately. “I’m not a- ngh!- I’m not some sort of- debauched th-thing.”

“No you’re not”, Stark agreed, as he smoothly retrieved his hand to coat it with scented oil, before plunging it back under the water, his middle finger teasing the clenching entrance with renewed attention. “Would you like to be treated so today?” he gently murmured, with bewildering simplicity.

Loki gasped with instinctive outrage -but he couldn’t even shake his head. He knew the truth -they both did, obviously. He gave in, letting out a weak whimper as his back arched, his ass reaching for Stark’s touch.

“Oh”, his tender torturer murmured with unnerving empathy, “you’ve been waiting, haven’t you?”

Just another shameful whimper, of both protestation and confirmation, and another demanding wiggle. Lids shut anew, knuckles whitening as his fingers clenched on the rim of the basin, Loki waited.

“I’ll make it worthwhile”, Stark softly promised, laying a furtive kiss on his shoulder. “Take a deep breath...”

And Loki did- and he gasped, as Stark’s first phalanx spread his hole open, pushing its narrow walls, slowly opening them. The prince bit his inner lip, deeply, arduously containing a louder moan.

“Here you go”, his partner mouthed gently, as he slid his finger deeper, its experimented tip meticulously looking for his prostate.

And it found it.

And Loki emitted a sound he never even thought he could produce.

He panted and he groaned, and his legs spread wide, as his hips rocked back and forth, eager for more.

“Easy, easy”, Stark chuckled kindly, his free hand grabbing at the prince’s lower back, delicately immobilizing it. “Isn’t it better this way?” he then purred in his ear, as his agile digit slowly massaged the small, oversensitive ball of nerves.

“Aah- _Ah_!” Loki hopelessly mewled, his voice reaching new, dizzying highs. “Ngh- No, I’ll, I’ll-”

“You’ll…?” Stark sweetly queried, his attentive services only faintly decelerating, as he waited for his client’s breath and thoughts to catch up.

“I’ll-” he bit his tongue, face as red as a poppy, mind blurred with pleasure and embarrassment, “I’ll come...”

“But I’m only just started”, Stark smiled lightly, giving a light thrust against his sensitive area.

“Ngh-” he whined, a spark of pride thundering through all of his shameful ecstasy. “You’re- You’re hellish”, he accused, a pitiful attempt to pretend he wasn’t already hanging on Stark’s every move.

“Am I?” he laughed quietly, before drawing a pensive pout. “You know, it’ll feel even better for you if I see what I’m doing.”

“Wh-What? No- Don’t stop”, he moaned as Stark slowly withdrew his finger.

“Please, let me see”, the foreigner demanded in a soft whir, as he enthusiastically led him towards the stairs.

“… N-No!” Loki objected in an abashed squeak.

“Sure?” he smiled, his thumb only briefly teasing at his relaxed hole, instantly obtaining the cutest of grunts from his client.

“Stop it”, the prince complained, though his back arched yet again, a shameful reflex he ultimately decided he might as well fully embrace.

He remained still for one more moment, before drawing a defiant smile and scandalously moving up the staircase, climbing each step on all fours until his bum emerged from the water for Stark to see.

However much he tried to seem confident, he blushed anew. A quick look between his legs confirmed what he already knew, and what Stark had probably guessed -he was rock hard, dripping with far more than only warm water.

“Continue”, he attempted to command, his voice disgracefully betraying him as it cracked and trembled.

“I had not intention not to”, Stark promised with a soft chuckle. “Your legs are closed”, he however noticed, candidly. “I can’t see.”

“Spread them yourself”, Loki retorted -an instant reply that, of course, led him to bury his face in his arms with infinite shame.

The worst -the best?- being, Stark didn’t even laugh, this time. He simply obeyed. And soon, Loki’s legs were wide open. The sole idea of his own decadent display left him to moan yet again, louder than ever, his cock quivering in desperate need.

“Aw, you’re even prettier down there”, Stark whispered with keen wonder, while his fingers spread his cheeks apart, finally exposing his leaking hole to his sight. “All soft and pink and welcoming”, he tenderly described, before giving the clenching star a gentle lick.

“D-Don’t say that! D- What are you- _Ah_!”

Loki’s entire body shivered, as his eager partner buried his tongue in him. Soon enough, his index finger replaced the imprecise, wet muscle, and reached his soft point yet again, rubbing it with attentive care, before initiating a slow, back and forth motion. Only a minute passed before Loki felt drowsy with pleasure, the heat hitting him as hard as Stark’s now vivid thrusts hit his alarmed prostate. His hole stretched and as red as his face, his gentle tormentor fitted his middle finger in, shoving both of them deep in his hole, leaving him gasping for air and moaning like the neediest of whores.

“Touch yourself”, Stark’s forever gentle voice directed him, just when Loki believed there was no possible way he could ever feel this good again.

And as he whimpered and trembled and desperately stroked his painfully hard shaft, bent over on the stairs of an unknown pool, his insides filled with the fingers of an unknown man, he came harder than ever before.

Then, his mind went blank.

 

When he came back to his senses, the hands that had possessed him a minute -an hour?- ago were gently stroking his hair. His back was leaned against a warm torso, and the hot water covered him again, entirely.

“You should go back to your clients, shouldn’t you?” he heard himself murmur, as he dared gaze to Stark’s perpetually joyful face.

As no answer came, he realized the silliness of his question, and buried his still flushed face in the water.

When he emerged, a kind laugh and two affectionate arms welcomed him to his new reality.

**Author's Note:**

> Loki's been investigating (once he could walk again)... :3 Lil' inside look into his discoveries : https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/babyredpanda/154646582757


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